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Syllabus: PHIL 309: Global Justice Summer 2012, First Session Instructor: Johanna Luttrell jluttre1@uoregon.edu Office: PLC 320 Office Hours: Thursdays, 10am-12, and by appointment Course Summary: Philosophers have only recently begun to address the topic of global justice. Given the recent acceleration of globalization, in terms of the economic interconnectedness of the majority of the planet, as well as the exponential increase in wealth and income discrepancy between the rich and the poor, theorists concerned with global justice have become especially attentive to the problems of large-scale, absolute poverty. The purpose of this class will be, first, to account for how it is we got to this situation, and second, to give a normative account of what we should do about it. Thus, we will consider both empirical and normative approaches to global justice. Specifically, we will examine various positions on global poverty including arguments from beneficence, arguments from distributive justice, arguments from harm, and the Capabilities Approach. Further, we will consider varying positions on global justice, including liberal, cosmopolitan, and communitarian positions. Finally, we will consider the relevancy and soundness of these positions in light of a widespread, geographical phenomenon specific to globalization: the problem of global slums. Central questions of the course include: Does a basic right to subsistence constitute a corresponding duty by someone? If so, who (private actors? national governments? international organizations?) holds this duty? Do national boundaries, the constitution of communities, or relative wealth play a role in which people owe what to the poor? What is a robust vision of human flourishing that can guide policies in international development and law? Given that this is an advanced-level class in philosophy, the pace will be quick and the reading will be plenty. You are expected to read the material assigned for the day and to actively participate in all of the discussions. Required Texts: th (available at campus bookstore and campus copy shop on 13 and Patterson) Global Justice: Seminal Essays. Thomas Pogge and Darrell Mollendorf, eds. Paragon: 2008 (at bookstore) Course Reading Packet (at the Campus Copy Shop on13th and on Blackboard) Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity. Katherine Boo. Random House. 2011 (at bookstore) Note: you are expected to do the readings listed for the day of class ahead of time, and bring them to class, unless specified as ‘read in class’. Readings with a star (*) appearing after them are from the course reading packet; readings without a star are in the Pogge and Mollendorf anthology or Katherine Boo’s book. 1 Schedule of Readings Week 1 Monday, June 25: Globalization Read in class: The Annan Address: The Politics of Globalization. Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General, 1998.* Tuesday, June 26: Global Poverty Katherine Boo, Part 1, Behind the Beautiful Forevers Mike Davis, “The Ecology of the Slums”, from Planet of Slums* Wednesday, June 27: Liberalism Boo. Ch. 2 and 4 of Behind the Beautiful Forevers Charles Beitz, “Justice and International Relations” Thursday, June 28: Liberalism, cont. John Rawls, selections from The Law of the Peoples Friday, June 29: Liberalism/ Basic Rights Henry Shue, Chapters 1-2 of Basic Rights: Subsistence, Affluence, and U.S. Foreign Policy Week 2 Monday, July 2: Review of Week 1 (no readings) Tuesday, July 3: Utilitarianism/ Arguments from beneficence Peter Singer, “The Argument: Saving a child; Is it wrong not to help?; Common Objections to Giving” and “Your children and the Children of Others” in The Life You Can Save* Wednesday, July 4: Deontology/ Arguments from harm Thomas Pogge, "Severe Poverty as a Violation of Negative Duties." Ethics and International Affairs 19 (2005): 55-83.* Essay #1 DUE Thursday, July 5: Cosmopolitanism David Held, “Democracy: From City-States to the Cosmopolitan Order?” Friday, July 6: Communitarianism David Miller, “The Ethical Significance of Nationality” 2 Week 3 Monday, July 9: the Anti-Cosmopolitan Position Thomas Nagel "The Problem of Global Justice." Philosophy and Public Affairs 33 (2005):113-147.* Tuesday, July 10: Review of week 2 (no readings) Wednesday, July 11: The Capabilities Approach Selections from Amartya Sen, Development as Freedom, Introduction, Chapters 1 and 2* Essay #2 Due Thursday, July 12: The Capabilities Approach Sen, Chapters 3 and 4 of Development as Freedom* Friday, July 13: Gender and the Capabilities Approach, cont. Introduction and ch. 1 of Martha Nussbaum, Women and Human Development* Week 4 Monday, July 16: Review of Week 3: no readings Tuesday, July 17: Essay #3 Due Chapters 2 and 3 of Iris Marion Young, Responsibility for Justice* Wednesday, July 18: Young, cont. Thursday, July 19: Review of course: comparing liberal, cosmopolitan, and anti- cosmopolitan positions on global justice. Comparing the arguments from beneficence, distributive justice, harm, and capabilities on global poverty. Review of what the problem of global slums tells us about global justice. Friday, July 20: Study groups: final paper draft workshop Final essay must be submitted electronically to blackboard by Monday, July 30. Assignments, Grading, and expectations: Essay #1: 10% Essay #2: 15% Essay #3: 15% Final Paper: 40% Study Groups: 5 % Attendance and Participation: 15% 3 Assignments For each of the assignments, you will be assigned a study group of 4-5 people. You are required to meet together before each of the papers are due to a) read and discuss each other’s drafts, and b) collectively formulate questions and discussions for the class, that you will turn in to me. Tip: (not required) You should meet somewhere fun to discuss philosophy, either at a coffee shop or at a bar. ;) Essay #1: 2 pages. Define the challenge that globalization presents to a liberal (re: Rawlsian) theory of justice. Essay #2: 3 pages. Given the fact that global poverty is contingent and not inevitable, construct EITHER policy memo for the US Department of State OR a manifesto for a movement for global justice that 1) adopts a utilitarian (Singer), anti- cosmopolitan/communitarian (Nagel or Miller), or deontological (Pogge) position and 2) argues for a concrete practical action to be taken on the basis of the strength of this theoretical position. Essay # 3: 2 pages. Explain how the Capabilities Approach understands itself as accommodating multiculturalism by emphasizing development policies should have as their goal ‘the opportunities of satisfaction of capabilities without forcing them to function’. Include a half-page long, critical discussion of whether or not you think the Capabilities Approach succeeds in accommodating the demands of multiculturalism through this qualification. Final essay: 8 pages. Question: Which theoretical position on global justice is best poised to respond to the exigencies of global capitalism? Why? What are the strengths of this account, and what’s still missing? The essay should include a critical discussion of what some of the exigencies of global capitalism are, i.e., (as per the topics we have discussed in this class) empirical evidence on global slums and the unprecedented influence of multi-national corporations, as well as a historical-economic definition of globalization. As you will recall, the theoretical positions we have discussed in this class are the following: Rawl’s liberalism Beitz’ vision of distributive justice Shue’s standards of basic minimums Fabre’s cosmopolitanism Singer’s utilitarianism Nagel’s anti-cosmopolitanism Miller’s communitarianism Pogge’s deontological argument from harm Sen’s mandate for development Nussbaum’s capabilities approach Young’s distinction between guilt and responsibility 4
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